WARNING/ GRAPHIC: Synthetic human to be featured on ABC’s Shark Tank

TAMPA, Fla. – The scientist who started SynDaver Labs, a Tampa-based company specializing in the production of synthetic cadavers for medical research, is scheduled to be on ABC’s Shark Tank May 8.

While the show’s outcome cannot be discussed quite yet, the product can.

Dr. Christopher Sakezles, a Tampa-native, founded SynDaver Labs in 2004 when he needed to test medical devices he was developing, but didn’t have funding for the required animal studies. As a result, SynDaver Labs was born.

Every product or procedure designed to be used on humans is required by the Food and Drug Administration or the Consumer Product Safety Commission to be proven safe and effective via simulated use testing. SynDaver’s Synthetic Human is an ethical and cost-effective way to get this done.

“This is obviously good not only for ethical reasons, but also because avoiding animal use saves a great deal of time and money,” said Sakezles. “So, I started designing synthetic organs to test devices and over time they became very elaborate.”

According to Sakezles, the SynDaver Synthetic Human is the most sophisticated hands-on surgical simulator ever devised. It bleeds, breathes and even the pupils dilate when they are exposed to light.

“We are the only company in the world that makes synthetic cadavers,” Sakezles says. “And all other anatomical models on the market are made from plastic or rubber, while ours are made from a proprietary library of more than 100 synthetic human tissues.”

The SynDaver Synthetic Human is used primarily for surgical simulation, medical training, and medical device development testing.

The model includes skin with fat and fascia planes, all bones, muscles, tendon and ligaments, fully articulating joints, a functioning respiratory system with trachea, lungs and diaphragm, complete digestive tract from esophagus to rectum, urinary tract with kidneys, gall bladder, pancreas, spleen and reproductive organs. A functioning circulatory system with heart, coronaries, aorta, vena cava and vasculature to the extremities is also included.

The system works with all known imaging equipment, including CT, MRI, fluoroscopy and ultrasound, and all known surgical systems – even those that employ energy such as lasers.

A base model is scheduled to be released soon, which will cost approximately $25,000, while the ultra-high-end Synthetic Human Patient currently retails for around $100,000.

About SynDaver LabsSynDaver has the world’s largest database of live-tissue properties and all SynDaver tissues are made from water, salts, and fibers. The company currently has 10 patents on these materials, processes, and related products. SynDaver Labs is headquartered in Tampa, Florida and employs more than 100 people. The company also has an advanced research facility located in Phoenix, Arizona and is planning additional facilities in the U.S., China, Europe, and Latin America.